FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: John Bloedorn or Kathryn DeMarco, 286-4837 or john@cravenallengallery.com

300 dpi press-quality photographs can be downloaded from http://cravenallengallery.com/press

“FATHER & DAUGHTER: HANDCRAFTED MIRROR FRAMES BY ALLISON WRIGHT & EDWARD WRIGHT” OPENING JANUARY 23RD AT CRAVEN ALLEN GALLERY

Durham —Father & Daughter: Handcrafted Mirror Frames by Allison Wright and Edward Wright opens at Craven Allen Gallery on Saturday, January 23rd, with a reception for the artists from 5 to 7 pm, and continues through February 27th.

Edward Wright’s fine hand-crafted frames can be seen in major museums and important private collections around the country. His daughter Allison, who grew up around the artisans in her father’s workshop, has become a successful framemaker as well, in spite of the challenge of having Down syndrome. Her crafting and gilding business has been featured on WUNC radio’s “The State of Things.”

For this show, they have worked collaboratively to create beautiful mirror frames which are works of art in their own right. Many are carved and gilded with gold or precious leaf; others feature fine woods such as cedar and walnut, collected locally and aged for more than twenty years.

Allison’s specialty is the centuries-old art of water gilding. First, she applies gesso to basswood and surfaces the frame to a fine polish by sanding; then she mixes colored clay with rabbit skin glue and applies it to the moulding highlights. To gild, Allison covers the clay with water and applies the delicate sheets of silver or 22k gold leaf using the extremely fine bristles of a squirrel hair brush. After drying, Allison burnishes the leaf with a stone agate. There are no shortcuts in this painstaking process; each frame takes Allison about five hours to make.

These provide the springboard for Edward’s custom finishes, with designs inspired by the colors or shapes of objects like rocks, bricks or bark which Edward has gathered on walks throughout the Triangle. To create the look he is after, he may use any of a number of techniques, including distressing, punch work, spattering, stippling, tarnishing, glazing and applying casein washes. Without the pressure to meet a client’s needs, he is free to challenge himself and explore the possibilities until he is satisfied. The result is a layered look of considerable depth, beauty and complexity.

Says Edward,” This show has been a unique opportunity for Allison and me to build on our particular interests, experiment with various materials, and support each other’s creativity.”

Craven Allen Gallery is located at 1106 ½ Broad Street in Durham. Gallery hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, please call the gallery at 286-4837 or visit www.CravenAllenGallery.com.